The Star Chamber
by Savile
Summary: The Sorting Hat said I was ambitious, I guess it just took me a while to figure out what ambition meant. Dark Political Harry, Post DH.
1. To Cast the First Stone

**Disclaimer: **This chapter and the story it is a part of it was not written in the hopes of profiting from its sale or distribution. At current I have never and have no plans in the future of receiving monetary compensation for this work. And I certainly do not own Harry Potter or any other related titles. Any resemblance the characters portrayed in this story might have to real life figures is completely coincidental.

**Beta:** I've been using Snakefang93 as a beta for this story so a great deal of thanks are owed to him for his help.

**A/N:** So basically I've been wanting to do a political Harry story since before I started writing fanfiction but I never really had a good plot idea. Then I watched the new Netflix series _House of Cards_ and was completely blown away by Francis Underwood and of course that led to me watching the original BBC series where I practically fell in love with Urquhart. Add in my own little twists and a dash of Harry Potter and this is the result.

**The Star Chamber**

**Chapter One: To Cast The First Stone**

"_The Chamber where the whole of the Wizengamot meets is called the Star Chamber. It derives its name from the golden gilted stars which adorn the ceiling it is said that the wizards and witches who sit in the Star Chamber decide the course of nations. It is said that within the Star Chamber movements are born and movements are strangled. The Wizengamot may act with impunity safe and secure in the knowledge that no court will overrule them and no other force may challenge their authority. Stars represent fate, which is fitting since the fates of entire peoples have been decided in the Star Chamber."- _Bathilda Bagshot, _A History of Magic_

Wizarding elections are truly odd things to those who've never experienced them before. There are 300 members in a full wizengamot, representing 300,000 wizards in the Isles of Great Britain. Every election something like 1,000 of those wizards think they have what it takes to be in the great legislative body of the nation

How do you determine who becomes the people's representative you ask. Each and every candidate gets a bucket and there we all stand in the atrium of the Ministry waiting for the greatest circus known to man to begin. At 8 o'clock sharp the proverbial doors are opened and each and every wizard and witch in Britain descends upon us each armed with one purple stone.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CHUDLEY CANNONS!?" cries one voter who apparently likes his candidate to be an everyman sort of fellow.

"I THINK THE PRICE OF MILK IS OUTRAGEOUS WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO ABOUT IT!?" screeches an elderly lady.

"I LIKE YOUR SHIRT! CAN I HAVE IT!?" Asks one mercenary gentleman.

If the candidate answers these dubious questions correctly than their adoring public will drop their specially enchanted purple stone into that candidates bucket. Once a candidate has 1,000 of these stones they are, through the magic of democracy, declared a Member of the Wizengamot. If after 8 hours the Star Chamber is still not full then those who received less than 1,000 stones are admitted into the chamber in descending order until all 300 seats are filled. If a tie occurs then a rousing game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ensues to decide the winner. As memory serves there was once a wizard from Leeds who won reelection on three separate occasions by always choosing rock.

I pity those poor souls who have to sit in that atrium hour after hour being bombarded with inane questions breathed on by all sorts of rabble. You see I'm Harry Potter and even though I'd been away from my beloved homeland for nearly a decade all I had to do was smile and wave and I had my thousand stones before the end of the first 20 minutes.

After that things are much more sedate though no less cutthroat. The Supreme Mungwump is elected, Daedalus Diggle held the position in the last two sessions and no one even bothers to stand against him this time. The members of the high court are declared, they being the 50 oldest people in the room. And then we get down to the true business of the day.

"The chair recognizes Mr. Nott!" Cried Diggle from the Mungwump's platform.

"My fellow members!" Said Theodore Nott as he rose to his feet. "If it pleases this Chamber I ask for a resolution granting Mr. Malfoy the office of Minister for Magic."

"Is there a second?" asks Diggle.

"Second!" calls an anonymous voice from the back benches.

Good old Lucius was still puttering around the Chamber like he owned the place. Of course by that point he was too old, too silly, and too conservative to ever hope to win.

"Members in favor make yourselves known!" says Diggle as about a half hundred wands are thrust into the air bathing the chamber with blue light.

"55 members in favor," calls Diggle. "Mr. Nott's Resolution fails by 92 votes."

Diggle's assistant whispers something in his ear.

"My apology resolution fails by 96 votes. The Chair recognizes Madame Vance."

Emmiline was getting up there in years as I recall but you wouldn't have been able to tell that by her hair, the product of a bottle no doubt.

"If it pleases the Chamber I nominate Mr. Podmore."

A great racket of catcalls and boos come over the house and members liberal and conservative laughed and waved their order papers about in the air. Animals the lot of them. I for one sit calmly in my chair making no acknowledgement of the Madame's error beside a small smile.

"ORDER! ORDER!" cries Diggle. "Madame Vance, this Chamber will only acknowledge statements made in the proper form."

"Hear! Hear!" Come the shouts from the crowd.

"Madame Vance have another go," said Diggle not unkindly.

"My apologies to the Chamber," said Vance as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "If it pleases this Chamber I ask for a resolution granting Mr. Podmore the office of Minister for Magic."

"Is there a second?" Diggle asks the Chamber, and somewhere in the back someone answered that they would second the motion. "Very well members in favor make yourselves known.

It was never a contest Podmore is a back alley bruiser not ministerial material. I imagine Vance only bothered to nominate him as a sort of thank you gesture for his years in the Wizengamot.

"Madame Vance's motion fails by 103 votes," says Diggle after he and his aides are done counting. "The Chair recognizes Mr. Prescott."

"Thank you Mr. Diggle," comes the hoarse voice of the old liberal lion, it's hard to tell looking at the fat old bald fellow but he was once someone important. "If it pleases this Chamber I ask for a resolution granting Madame Granger the office of Minister for Magic."

"Is there a second?"

"Second!"

"Members in favor make yourselves known."

Poor Hermione never had a chance, she was an up and coming star in the liberal wing of the Chamber but her nomination had only been a courtesy. Even so I raised my wand for the first time, she was an old friend you know, and it never hurts to throw the dog a bone.

"Mr. Prescott's motion fails by 99 votes," says Diggle. "The Chair recognizes Madame Granger."

"If it pleases this Chamber," Hermione said rising to her feet. "I ask for a resolution granting Madame Jones the office of Minister for Magic!"

Hestia Jones, was once a cherry cheeked idiot and now it seemed she might be Minister. There she was, near the floor, her black hair up in an efficient bun her hair an odd decaying shade of black. I disliked her at first glance and yet this was the woman to whom fate had shackled my future.

"Hear! Hear!" a large group of the members cry and it was clear that the deciding moment had come.

"Order! Order!" cries Diggle, "this Chamber will come to order or the Sergeant at Arms will know why!"

One look at the burly Auror with the mace succeeded in shutting the rowdy liberal wing up.

"I shall take it, that there is a second to that motion," Diggle said in good humor. "Members in favor of Madame Granger's motion make yourselves known."

One by one glowing blue wands all across the hall rose to the air… but wait what was this? It was a close one that was for sure but was it close enough?

"143 members in favor," says Diggle in shocked voice, "motion fails by 8 votes."

There was a moment of silence before a loud clamor erupted from all over the chamber and even the threat of Sergeant at Arms couldn't make the Wizengamot settle down after that upset. The coalition which had ruled Britain since Voldemort's defeat couldn't form a majority which meant for the first time in over a decade the country was up for grabs.

Diggle kept us there until midnight calling for vote after vote, Hestia Jones was nominated 3 more times. At one point she received 148 votes, just three shy of a majority but by the next time her name came up she had fallen to 132. Yours truly got 35 votes and a thunderous round of applause. Percy Weasley even managed to get 10 votes, including Lucius Malfoy's who by that time was just raising his wand for every candidate in the hopes that he would be able to get home before judgment day.

"Order! Order!" Diggle desperately tried to silence the room which had erupted in gales of laughter after one liberal member sarcastically nominated Lord Grindelwald. "Very well, Very well. This Chamber is unable to reach a verdict and so the Chair recommends a recess until 10 am tomorrow. Members in favor make yourselves known."

"245 members in favor," Diggle said once he was done counting. "the motions passes."

A strangled cheer rose from the Wizengamot as there was a mad scramble for the door.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter!" came the cries of the reporters as I exited the Chamber.

"You miss!" I said pointing to a good looking brunette with curly hair and an aquiline nose.

"Romilda Vane, Daily Prophet, you failed to vote for Madame Jones at all 4 nominations does this mean you're making a break from the more liberal members of the Chamber."

"Miss Vane I thought I recognized you it's been too long," I never thought I would be saying that but she had grown a lot since Hogwarts, and in all the right places as well. "To answer your question, this is my first session in the Wizengamot so I was a never a member of the liberal wing and therefore could not possibly be making a break from them. And in any case I did vote for Hermione Granger twice, the last I checked she's pretty liberal."

"You," I said pointing to a man I most certainly recognized.

"Colin Creevy, Wizarding Wireless Network. Mr. Potter why didn't you vote for Madame Jones? And do you think it's possible that you might vote for her tomorrow?"

"That's two questions Colin," I said with a small smile. "But in any case I differ from Madame Jones on several points. In particular I disagree with her when it comes to the rights of parents to decide where their children go to school. You can read about how I would go about reforming education in Britain in last Sunday's Hogsmeade Courier. Now if you'll excuse me it's been a long night and I'd rather like to get to bed."

"No one sleeps on election night Harry!" Colin called after me good naturedly.

"Mr. Potter!" came a voice before I could make good my escape.

"Yes Mister?" I asked a balding overweight man who had heretofore remained in the background.

"Richard Livingston, Hogsmeade Courier, Could you answer Colin's second question, will you be voting for Madame Jones tomorrow?"

"I think I'll have to sleep on it," I said with small smile before walking away.

With an interview like that I knew Hestia's people would be knocking on my door inside an hour and I was right too. I had barely managed to get my cloak off before the doorbell of Grimmauld Place rang.

My old friend had changed since the last time I had seen her nearly a decade ago. Gone was the innocent idealism that we all had in those days in its place was a fire that refused to be extinguished. This was a woman who would mark the world or die in the trying, though in fairness she'd always had that drive whereas I had only acquired it recently.

Hermione didn't even look like the girl I had left behind. She wore her hair straight now, something I knew must take at least an hour of work every morning and her face was caked with makeup. The poster child for being comfortable in her own skin had become an ode to Lipstick Feminism… it suited her though.

"Hermione it's been too long," I said and part of me even meant it. "Let me take your coat. Would you like Kreacher to fetch you some tea?"

"Coffee," she said gratefully. "It's going to be a busy night."

"So I take it this isn't a social visit," I said as I led her into the drawing room. The whole of Grimmauld Place had been redecorated when I moved back in and now seemed a perfectly respectable townhouse. The renovations had eaten up a substantial amount of my already limited funds, but appearances must be maintained you know.

"You would've gotten a social visit if you had let me know you were back in country!" She admonished as her eyes studied me trying to see what kind of man the last ten tears had turned me into. "Europe seems to have agreed with you."

"Lovely place," I answered, "but it's nice to be back home."

"Ron was livid when he found out you were running today and didn't even tell us."

"Yes well it was all very last minute," that was a lie on my part.

"You ran for the Wizengamot last minute," her quirked eyebrow told me exactly what she thought of that.

"Yes well when Kingsley was still around it didn't seem prudent to come back."

the two of us had quarreled right after the Battle of Hogwarts and let me tell you it wasn't pretty. Bugger seemed to think I should take my NEWTs before he let me into the Auror Corps, bah wasn't killing a Dark Lord enough?

"Over that silly little thing Harry?" she scoffed. "Hardly anybody even remembers it."

"He remembered it, I remembered it that's more than enough. Still I wish I had made amends before he died."

I wish nothing of the sort, I wish that stingy old bastard rots in a shallow grave.

"Yes his death did catch us all of guard… well know that the pleasantries are over with, what the hell do you want?"

I couldn't help but grin; it appeared that all those years I had spent in Europe had changed more people than just me. The old Hermione would've beat around the bush for at least another hour, I couldn't help but like this newer blunt version of my old friend. Her marriage to Ron had apparently been for the best.

"How about this," I said, "tell me what you are offering."

"Hestia's willing to roll over on school redistricting and up the Hogwarts budget by 10%," Hermione said cautiously.

I nearly laughed in her face, and I imagine I would have if she wasn't an old friend.

"No one runs for the Wizengamot because they think Hogwarts deserves more money Hermione. I want the Auror Office."

To her credit she didn't spit out her coffee though I could tell she very nearly did.

"Are you insane!? This is your first time in the Wizengamot and you never even passed the Auror Academy, there's no way the Wizengamot will appoint you even if Hestia nominates you."

"I would've passed the Auror Academy if Kingsley hadn't stuck his big nose into that business and more to the point where else are you going to get eight votes?"

"Do you really think you can deliver eight?" she said cautiously biting her lip.

"Trust me Hermione," I said with a grin, "I'm pretty popular."

"You _were_ pretty poplar," she replied. "Then you went whoring around Europe for a decade, now you're just famous."

That was a low blow, but to her credit it was more or less an accurate description of my situation.

"I did more than just whore around, Hermione. I have a degree in Magical Education from la Sorbonne, and an International Law Doctorate from the Italian University of Magic."

"I read your doctoral thesis… it was interesting," she said as she sipped her coffee.

"I know I got the flowers you sent, by the way."

"Harry… you're just not old enough to head up the Auror Corps," she said nervously.

"Listen Hermione were old friends so I won't bullshit you," I said as I leaned in. "Right now Prescott, Cresswell, and god knows how many others are going around to all of Hestia's supporters and saying they should be the next Minister. And all of Hestia's supporters are thinking to themselves, 'well I like her but it doesn't look like she's going to win.' So unless the headline in tomorrow's paper is good news Hestia might as well forget about being Minister."

"You need to win tomorrow Hermione and on the first ballot or Hestia Jones will just be a foot note on the pages of history. Now if you think there's someone else out there who can get enough votes to put you over the top go for it, but you know my price."

"Amos Diggory can get us 15 if we promise not to go after house elves," she said leaning back in her chair.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow at that, house elves had been Hermione's pet cause for as long as anyone could remember. "Does Hestia really want to make that deal."

"No, but I can't promise you the Auror office not without talking to her first."

"Well talk away," I said glancing at my watch. "But the Hogsmeade Courier and the Prophet both go to press in an hour, their headlines can be 'Boy-Who-Lived endorses Jones,' or 'Ministry Up For Grabs."

20 minutes later I was ushered into Jones' office. The years had changed Hestia Jones from a cherry cheeked Order Member into a stone faced woman, but she did seem to still have a soft spot for me.

"Harry, Paris seems to have agreed with you," she said as we shook hands.

"And the Ministry seems to be treating you rather well." I do so hate pleasantries but they are a necessity in my line of work you understand.

"Well… the Auror Office…" she said nervously.

"Yes the Auror Office," I said with a smile.

"I don't know if I'll be able to get that past the Wizengamot… I mean you don't have much experience in that field."

"I seem to recall apprehending a Dark Lord at one point or another," I said nonchalantly.

"Yes well…" Jones said fidgeting a little in her seat. "The Wizengamot likes those people in Senior Positions to be married; they think it makes them more sound you understand…"

"I am engaged you know," I answered. "Daughter of the Baron of Sudely and all."

What can I say when it comes to women I'm a god awful elitist snob. My Daphne is one of the few aristocrats left in the Wizarding World, her father's title went back to before the Statue of Secrecy.

"Yes…" she said with a look in her eye. "What an interesting man Lord Sudely is…"

Daphne's father was retired now but when he had strode the floors of the Star Chamber he had been more of Malfoy's political stripe then Hestia's. No doubt she was wondering where my loyalties lay, and what a silly question that would be. My loyalties lay with the only person I truly trust… me.

"Hestia," I said cutting through her thought process. "The papers will go to print in an hour and a half don't forget they'll need time to develop the photos you know."

She winced before she turned to Hermione and said, "Please show Mr. Richardson in."

"Had time to sleep on it then Mr. Potter?" Richardson asked politely as he and his camera man filed into the room.

"Oh just a cat nap," I replied as I wrapped my arm around Hestia for the picture. There's an American saying I'm rather found of, 'when you got 'em by the balls their hearts and minds will follow.'

"156 Members in favor," said Diggle happily the next morning, "Madame Granger's resolution carries!"

"Hear! Hear!" came the traditional cheer of the Wizengamot, applause having been outlawed centuries ago.

"Madame Jones," called Diggle. "Are you prepared to take the oath?"

"I'm ready Mr. Diggle," Hestia said standing up, her cheeks had gone rosy again and for a second she reminded me of her younger self in the kitchen of Number 4 examining a toaster with awe.

"Madame Jones," said Diggle as Hesita knelt before the Supreme Mungwump's Chair.

"Do you solemnly promise to govern the wizards and witches of these Isles in accordance with the ancient laws and customs which they have hitherto enjoyed?"

"I promise to," Hestia replied.

"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?" asked Diggle.

"I will," she answered.

"Do you swear upon your honor to always respect the legitimacy of this Wizengamot, and its supremacy over other institutions which govern in its name? Furthermore do you swear to use your office to carry out the laws and resolutions enacted by the ancient customs of this court?"

"I do so swear," Hestia replied as the Chamber erupted in cheers. Bunch of hypocrites if they'd been loyal to her then we could've had the whole ceremony the day before. Though I shouldn't complain too much considering I was cheering right along with the rest of them.

"Order, Order!" cries Diggle, but even he regarded it as a lost cause and joined in the cheering. Glancing around the Chamber one would never be able to guess that just 12 hours ago the Coalition came within an inch of defeat.

"Order, Order!" Diggle said after the cheering had begun to die on its own. "Minister Jones, have you given thought to your appointments?"

"Indeed I have," Hestia replies, "and with your permission I would like to gauge the confidence of the Chamber in them."

"You have the floor, Madame Minister," Diggle said as he sunk back into his chair.

"I would appoint Humphrey Gumboil as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, may I ask does he have the confidence of this Chamber?"

Two sharp taps of a cane rang out from where Prescott was sitting, which meant that now that we had a new Minister she had appointed a Chief Cane. A Cane is someone the Minister appoints to ensure that their agenda gets past the Wizengamot. As it's technically illegal for anyone, even the minister, to tell members of the Wizengamot how to vote the Chief Cane makes himself known by tapping his cane on the ground right before a vote.

One tap, means the members are free to vote their conscience. Two taps means that a minister regards the business at hand as most serious and it would be unwise to vote against her wishes. Three Taps means that voting contrary to the Minister would make a permanent enemy of her. Four taps made it a confidence vote, meaning if it wasn't passed the minister would dissolve the chamber and call for new elections.

"Will members with confidence in Mr. Gumboil make themselves known," said Diggle. I raised my wand along with the majority of the Chamber; it wouldn't due to vote against my future boss now would it?

"Mr. Gumboil has the confidence of this Chamber," decreed Diggle from his chair. "Pray continue Madame Minister."

The affair continued much the same way, having voted against appointing Minister Jones the previously reluctant liberals heartily approved of all her selections as a sort of peace offering. One by one the posts ticked down, Amos Diggory got the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Dirk Cresswell was reconfirmed as the Head of the Goblin Liaison Office, a post he had held for nigh on 20 years. Finally she spoke the words which I had been waiting to hear for almost a year.

"I would appoint Mr. Potter to head the Auror Office, may I ask does he have the confidence of the Chamber?"

One tap rang out and then no more. I stared at Prescott in surprise, surely there had been a mistake, every other appointee had gotten two raps of the cane. But to my horror Hestia made no move to correct him.

"Members with confidence in Mr. Potter please make yourselves known," called Diggle.

I put up my wand, but to my growing anger I was decidedly in the minority. Percy raised his, but he was my beast so that was no surprise. Hermione to her credit did as well, but the majority of the liberal wing didn't, it was then that I found out what I should've known all along. I had been double crossed.

"Ah… this Chamber does not have confidence in Mr. Potter," Diggle said with an apologetic look in my direction. "As we are rather close to noon I suggest a short recess to allow the Minister to find another candidate and for the members to enjoy their lunch. The Chamber will meet back in one hour."

I practically flew out of the Wizengamot Chamber on my way to Hestia's Office, but Hermione intercepted me halfway there.

"We had deal!" I said as I glared at my one time friend.

"Be quiet and follow me," she said.

I fumed as I followed her to her old office, I wanted to rage at her and scream but I knew that making a scene would ruin what little credibility I still had left.

"We had a deal!" I said once she closed her office door.

"Our deal was we would nominate you and we did," she said nonchalantly, although she didn't quite meet my eye.

"No our deal was that you would make me the head of the Auror Office and I would win you the election. Hestia's Minister and I'm not head of the Auror Office. You broke the deal!"

"Circumstances changed," Hermione said as she sat down behind her desk.

"The nature of promises Hermione," I said my voice getting dangerously low, "is that they remain immune to changing circumstances. You used to understand that!"

"You didn't have support in the Wizengamot, there's not a lot we can do about that."

"I didn't have support because you didn't give me any!" I raged. "I was there everyone else got ramrodded through and I'm the only one that didn't get the two tap treatment. The Hermione I used to know wouldn't have turned her back on a friend like that."

That was a low blow on my part.

"Oh spare me the patronizing crap, Harry!" she snapped in a tone of voice I had frankly never heard her use before. "You've been gone for ten years, what do you think you just wave a wand kill Voldemort and everything magically gets better again!?"

"Oh that isn't fair," I said in frustration.

"Life isn't fair Harry! It's been a long ten years and believe it or not we really could've used you. Hell if you'd stayed maybe we would've elected you instead of Hestia today but you didn't. Well the rest of us stuck together and cleaned up the mess, you ran off to the French Riveria with some… woman... And now when were so close to finally stamping Malfoy and his ilk out of existence you come sailing back expecting everything to be exactly like you left it."

"The Prodigal Son returns!" she said with disgust evident in her voice. "You're my friend Harry and I'm glad you're back, but the Minister isn't going to treat the Auror Department like some fatted calf, and you know what? I think she's right."

"I'm the only reason she is the Minister! I got her elected; you can't just turn your back on me!"

"We didn't turn our back, we gave you a floor vote and you failed it," Hermione answered. "Now we are willing to give you another post, but one that's actually suited to your talents and not your ego."

"What post would that be?" I asked sarcastically.

"Undersecretary of State for Education, the Minister read your Op-Ed in the Courier and she liked it. Madame Marchbanks, the Department Head thought it was inspired."

"Do you really expect me to play second fiddle to that silly old bat! She was Dumbledore's OWL Examiner you know, she probably went senile years ago" I said.

"Harry!" she snapped. "We would really like to run this country with you, but quite frankly we've been running it without you for the last ten years."

And there was the rub, I could try and fight her but in this equation she had all the power. Once the Minister was elected I couldn't unelect her and other then that what power did I have? She was offering me a face saving way out and I hated her for it, but when you're drowning and someone throws you a rope, you don't throw it back for the sake of pride.

"I serve at the pleasure of the Minister," I said my voice full of loathing. Hestia Jones would get what was coming to her, even at that moment I was wondering how to take her down, no one double crosses me and gets away with it, no one.

"She'll be glad to hear it," Hermione said as she rose from behind her desk. "Believe it or not Harry… I… I missed you."

"Just out of curiosity if not me for the Aurors, then who?" I asked as we walked out the door.

"Dawlish," Hermione replied.

"A splendid choice," I answered.

John Dawlish, I remembered him. He had been Fudge's bodyguard the night they had come to arrest Dumbledore in my fifth year… As I recall Dumbledore gave him a thorough thrashing. That's always been Dawlish's problem though; he's a good wizard who has the unfortunate habit of being pitted against the greats. As I walked down the hall plotting his demise I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor bastard.

**A/N** So there it is my version of _House of Cards_ set in the Harry Potter universe. I've been itching to do this ever since I watched the new Kevin Spacey series and was completely blown away by it. And before anyone says anything about Harry letting Hermione walk all over him, the story is about Harry's quest for power and revenge. If he didn't have anything to revenge then it wouldn't be much of a story.

As always please review, your constructive criticism is the only compensation I receive for this story so make it count.


	2. The Unraveling of Auror Dawlish

**Disclaimer: **This chapter and the story it is a part of it was not written in the hopes of profiting from its sale or distribution. At current I have never and have no plans in the future of receiving monetary compensation for this work. And I certainly do not own Harry Potter or any other related titles. Any resemblance the characters portrayed in this story might have to real life figures is completely coincidental.

**The Star Chamber**

**Chapter Two: The Unraveling of Auror Dawlish **

"What did they end up giving you?" Daphne asked when I walked through the door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Undersecretary for Magical Education," I replied in disgust.

"I was listening on the radio, they haven't even gotten to that post yet, you didn't even stick around to hear your nomination go through?" Daphne asked her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I'm not going to sit around and act happy with that consolation prize," I answered her my voice rising in anger. "If they want to call out my name then let them do it but I refuse to sit there with a smile as they grind a knife into my back."

"It's bad form Harry," Daphne replied stiffly. "A post any post in the government is an honor, a chance to serve."

"Oh spare me the crap Daphne, this isn't Witch Weekly, I got screwed out there today and you know it."

"You got screwed Harry?" if her voice had been angry before it was positively dangerous now. "Do you remember what you said to me when you proposed?"

I knew the mistake I had made and I knew no quick words or action would stop her from speaking so I let her continue.

"You said that I would never be some piece of arm candy that we would be a team. You didn't get screwed we got screwed!"

"I misspoke. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize Harry," she snapped. "It doesn't suit you and it's not the failure that gets at me Harry it's what you did afterwards."

"What should I have done?" I asked in annoyance.

"You should've stayed in that Chamber and taken your defeat like a man," she replied. "Everyone who pays attention will know the Minister screwed you over and you leaving before the Undersecretary nomination came up just makes you look like a child throwing a fit. You should've stayed in that Chamber and when they spoke your name you should've stood up and accepted the nomination with what little dignity you had left."

"What's past is past," I said. "What do I do now?"

"Now Mr. Potter? Now you come, sit on this couch with me and we figure out how to make this right," the look in her eyes made me feel sorry for our enemies. I was instantly reminded why I had chosen her to be my wife. She was beautiful with her long curly blonde hair, her tall aristocratic cheek bones and her beautiful green eyes, just a shade lighter than my own. But many women were beautiful, no I had married Daphne because she had vicious streak a mile wide and there's just something sexy about that.

"Why was the Cane Count short?" Romilda said when she appeared on my doorstep some time later in the evening. Daphne had already went to bed some time before.

"Miss Vane, care for some tea?" I ask as I reluctantly let her into Grimmauld Place, oh how I wish I had, had the foresight to keep the fidelius charm active.

"Why did the Minister recommend you if she wasn't going to back you in the floor vote?"

"Earl Grey perhaps?" I asked sarcastically as she blew past me and into the entrance hall. I took a second to admire her pert little bottom which was encased in a grey skirt. there was a slit up the side which revealed a deliciously smooth golden tanned leg. All and all it was very unprofessional.

"Listen Harry," Romilda said as I led her into my drawing room. "There's something there I know it, let me tell your side of the story."

"There is no story." Or rather there was a story but she could go right to hell if she thought I wanted it published.

"Boy-Who-Lived Double Crossed In Minister's Web of Lies, it would make for an excellent headline," her lusty dark eyes flashed with malicious glee.

"No it would make an unreasonably long headline," I replied. "Damn all I want some tea, Kreacher!"

"Harry I could tell your side, you could get back at her," Romilda said desperately as Kreacher popped in behind her.

"Master called?"

"Cup of tea, two lumps of sugar," I replied ignoring Romilda completely.

"Milk?" the house elf asked.

"Of course milk," I snapped. "Honestly tea without milk, next will be drinking it cold like barbarians."

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked leaning in exposing her rather generous cleavage.

"Romilda there is no story," I said. "There was a small miscommunication between the Chief Cane and the Minister the cane was tapped once not twice and when the Minister saw I lacked the support necessary decided not to resubmit my name. Instead she gave me a position in the Department of Magical Education; you'll recall that I campaigned mainly on education reform."

"You're lying," she said with the same sort of arrogant confidence that had always annoyed me at Hogwarts. "Harry this doesn't have to be one story, if there's ever anything you want published I can do that for you. I can be your girl in the press!"

"Do you really think someone like me would run for the Wizengamot with having at least one reporter in his pocket?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"And who would that be?" she asked sarcastically, "Colin?"

"He and I go back," I answered as Kreacher arrived with my tea.

"Yeah I remember that little freak always used to follow you around Hogwarts hanging off your every word… you couldn't stand him."

"That describes our relationship very well too," I answered with what I knew was a smug grin. "Now that I've suffered through your conspiracy theories may I propose one of my own?"

"Please do," she said her eyes narrowing.

"You're new to the Wizengamot beat aren't you; just promoted from covering what was it… the Hogsmeade town council?" I said taking relish in her wince. "You're replacing Rita Skeeter a living legend, if there was a body buried anywhere in England she knew who did it and who they were sleeping with at the time. But things aren't like Rita's days circulation's down, there's another newspaper stealing your readers and let's be honest most people just don't like reading anymore."

"All that pressure must be rather hard for someone so new to journalism," I continued. "So I suppose it's not surprising that you'd tart yourself up throw on a low cut shirt and come down hear trawling for gossip."

For a second her face looked as if I had slapped her but she recovered quickly.

"You haven't looked me in my eyes since I got here, so I suppose the shirt's been doing its job. Maybe I should show myself out, it's been lovely seeing you again Harry." Her eyes shined with anger as she got up to leave.

Even in Hogwarts when I hated Romilda I couldn't help but admire her brazenness, so I suppose it was nice to know that, that at least hadn't changed. "Forgive me Miss Vane," I said, "that was indelicate of me."

"I didn't dress like this way because I wanted a story Harry…" she said with a meaningful pause. "if you ever change your mind you'll know where to find me."

The next day I dragged myself into the Ministry to begin my humiliation. Magical Education, no place for a man of my talents.

"Yesterday, didn't go as planned," Percy Weasley as we entered the main lift.

"A minor hiccup in the scheme of things," I replied, quite frankly I was in no mood for his shit.

"Happens to the best of us I suppose," he replied with a smug self-satisfied grin. Percy you see was on my side, but only reluctantly for the moment.

"A temporary setback," I answered. "Plans are already in motion to correct my oversight. Truly I didn't think Jones or Hermione for that matter had it in them to double cross me, a mistake I assure you I won't make again."

"I did come through for my part," he answered. "The Office of International Law is at your disposal."

"Don't get too comfortable Percy," I replied as the lift came to my stop.

"What does that mean?" he asked as I stepped off.

"Hang your diploma up on the wall, but there's about to be an opening for you in another department."

"Wait! Which one?" he called but the lift door had already closed.

Percy is annoying, smarmy, pompous ass, but he has his uses and he's loyal too. Everyman has his price you know, and when it comes to my relationship with Percy Weasley, silence is his. What you didn't think he spent that year toadying up to the Muggleborn Registration Committee and didn't get his hands dirty did you?

In any case that day I had substantially had different if not quite bigger fish to fry. Magical Education is perhaps the most overlooked department in the Ministry, for multiple reasons. The last Minister to attempt any sort of education reform had been Fudge, and that carried with it an understandable stigma. Added unto that even though there were 15 schools of varying size and importance people invariably always think of Hogwarts with absolutely no attention paid to less well-off schools. This was, I suppose, vaguely understandable considering that most of the Wizengamot were old Hogwartonians.

There is one famous instance when a low level ministry official in the 30's suggested the addition of a mathematical component to the curriculum. He argued rather sensibly that some Ministry applicants were completely unable to do simple sums and that it was surely the school's responsibility to handle such matters. He ended up receiving so much hate mail that he wasn't even able to open his office door for fear of causing an avalanche. The Purebloods you see jealously guard the 'ancient curriculum of our ancestors,' and the muggleborns are likewise terrified of changes to a system that allowed so many of them to prosper in the wizarding world.

In any case I quickly learned two things during my first day at the Ministry. Madame Marchbanks my nominal Department Head was pushing 200 years old and rarely if ever showed up for work. This attitude had of course trickled down to the various nonpolitical underlings who were as a rule a drab and dreary lot. I doubt any one of them had, had an individual thought in the last decade or so. In any case I shan't bore you with the day to day administration of the Department, suffice it to say I worked there and even I was bored by the end of the first week.

Friday night however proved to be infinitely more profitable. The Hogshead is an institution in our world, opened its doors in 1807 you know. I can't help but think Aberforth's been behind the bar polishing the same cup with the same dirty rag since 1807 as well.

"I'm here for Mr. Wakeman," I said to him.

"Strange company you keep Potter," Aberforth said without looking up.

How he had seen past my glamour charms I will never know, but he was Albus's brother after all.

"Strange?"

"What else do you call someone in Scotland ordering an American whisky?"

"Where is he?"

"Up the stairs second door on the right," Aberforth replied before going back to wiping the counter with his dirty rag.

Alan Wakeman wasn't particularly impressive, a short big nosed little man with a distinct New York accent. He was however the best muckraker on any side of the Atlantic and had come highly recommended from a gentleman whose acquaintance I had made in Italy. Originally I had hired him to find aurors who would prove malleable to my needs, but since I had been passed over for that office I had, had him focus on Dawlish alone.

"Mr. Potter," he said with a smile as I entered the room. "I'm not used to doing business in bars."

"Where do you usually conduct business?" I asked as I took a seat at the table with him.

"Offices, living rooms, restaurants," he replied. "Maybe it's a cultural thing politicians in America go to great lengths to avoid being associated with alcohol; it's nice to see you English are so open."

"I didn't really think this was the sort of thing one did in an office?" I asked surprised.

"Bah, nothing I do is illegal or even amoral," he replied with a laugh. "Everything I'm going to give you on Dawlish I got from the Office of Magical Records, well Office of Magical Records and some gossip I picked up… former associates you see."

"Well what do you have," I asked leaning in.

"Several things, all of them need a bit more looking into but they lead in promising directions," he said as he pulled out a folder. "Two property transactions over the last ten years, the properties were bought by Dawlish and another man but were sold by Dawlish alone. Possibly above board, maybe they had an arrangement and Dawlish gave him his share later on. But it's also a common way to bribe someone. The arrangement needs to be gone into a little deeper if you ask me."

"Not much to be getting on with," I said skeptically.

"Not yet no," Wakeman replied. "My next bit however might be more to your liking, this" he said handing over another sheet. "Is a comparison of complaints filed against the Auror Office in 1995, the last year before the whole Dark Mr. Business, and the years from 2001 till today. 2001 being three years after the Battle of Hogwarts enough time for the norm to have taken hold again. As you can see they're up nearly across the board, but the two areas I want to draw your attention to in particular are excessive use of force and inhumane holding procedures, both of which have quadrupled since 1995 and doubled since 2001."

"Why hasn't anyone reported on this?" I asked as I looked over the files.

"Two reasons I suppose," Wakeman answered. "These might be public records but the Auror Office doesn't go around yelling it from the roof tops. To reach these numbers I had to review every complaint by hand and categorize them. Also even if a journalist did find this stuff do you really think they would've published it with Shacklebolt in charge?"

As some of you may or may not know, Kingsley was a valiant defender of the Auror Corps. After he was made Minister he gave a blanket pardon to all Aurors who didn't directly aid the Muggleborn Registration Committee. He said something about how you can't punish people for following orders when no one had any idea which ones were valid and which ones were based on trumped up charges. Personally I just think he didn't want to see any of his old mates locked up in Azkaban, stiff necked old bastard.

"Do you have anything on Dawlish in particular though?" I asked leaning in.

"Here's a summary of all excessive force complaints filed against members of the squad Dawlish was leading up until his promotion," he said handing me a large folder. "Dawlish himself is relatively clean except for one instance a couple years back."

"What happened?"

"Well as far as I can tell he was leading a raid on a warehouse just before that Dark Mr. of yours took over. Dawlish cast a bone braking curse on the owner when he tried to flee. The owner claimed up and down that Dawlish never identified himself as an Auror and that he thought that he was being robbed."

"Why didn't it ever go to trial?" I asked as I read the file Wakeman handed me.

"It was set to," he replied. "But two months later Minister Scrimgeour was killed and from that point on a muggleborn bringing a suit against a pureblood… well it got thrown out of court and the owner, a Mr. Albert Fulbright, was one of the first people brought before the Muggleborn Registration Committee… He died in Azkaban… Mr. Fulbright that is."

"Nothing concrete," I said covering my excitement. In my hands there was more than enough to bring Dawlish down. Oh nothing was proven, but the court of public opinion is one of the few that don't require hard evidence.

"Not concrete," Wakeman echoed, "not yet."

"Yet?" I asked wondering what more there could be.

"Fulbright has a widow," he said a grin coming over his face.  
"Where?"

"She ran to Canada during the war, that's why I called you here, I want your permission to interview her," Wakeman answered. "Since international travel will drive my fee up substantially I thought it best to ask first."

"Do you have a figure in mind?" I asked uncomfortably.

"This should be sufficient for the whole bill," Wakeman said passing a small slip of paper over.

I had to cover a wince as I looked at the number he had written down. "It seems I've gotten into the wrong line of work."

Wakeman through back his head and laughed at that. "Yes, yes, that's the standard reaction alright."

Wakeman was worth every single one of those golden galleons, he had a nose for trouble that's unmatched in Europe or for that matter across the pond. In my hands I held the key to the downfall of that damndable Auror and the building blocks for all that would come after. "Very well go to Canada Mr. Wakeman, now if you'll excuse me the Prophet will be going to print soon."

"Ugh… Mr. Potter," Wakeman began nervously. "Everything I've given you is kosher but… in my experience it's best not to go to the presses before all the facts are in hand. Dawlish did break that man's leg and that man did die in Azkaban after trying to bring a court case, but when we have all the facts things might be cast in a different light."

"Quite." Wakeman was an expert and I trusted his opinion, it's why I paid him his exorbitant fees. Only a fool buys a thorough bred Irish wolfhound and then goes and barks himself after all. "Dawlish's name will stay out of the papers until we have the full story but the bit about the aurors in general will go ahead… to soften the ground."

"As I said I don't like releasing the facts before we have the whole story-" Wakeman replied before seeing the look on my face. "But everything I've given you is the Gospel truth and you're the one paying for it."

Only a fool thinks his dog is right all the time. Now that I had something to distribute there was the matter of who to leak it to. Colin was an enterprising enough fellow, and loyal unto death, that much I took for granted. But he lacked a certain je ne sais quo, perhaps it was the killer instinct, all journalist should now how to hit the jugular and Colin was just too nice a fellow. No if I was to leak I would have to leak to someone driven, determined, and with that crazy look in their eye.

"Harry," Romilda said in surprise when I rang her doorbell. She was wearing as near as I could tell nothing but an oversized Puddlemere United Jersey. Her long tan legs sticking out from under it and her dark curly hair falling down her shoulders… it was fetching.

"Tell me Romilda," I said brushing past her and through the door, "Do your parents know you live here?"

It really was a hovel, trash strewn about, bad neighborhood… well bad for wizards. It looked more like a college dorm then somewhere I expected a smart professional looking woman like Romilda to live.

"They don't visit much," She said uncomfortably. It's rather annoying you know to have someone barge into your house and it was about time she learned it. "Maybe I should change," she said fingering the hem of her jersey uncomfortably.

"Not for my sake surely," I said as I plopped down on her rather beaten up sofa… oh no it was futon… I will never understand how the other half lives, even the Dursley's had the common courtesy to give me a proper mattress in that cupboard. "In any case I'll only be a minute."

"What did you want Harry," She said as she sat down on a tattered old armchair next to the _futon_...

"It occurs to me that I was rather rude on our last meeting and I wanted to make it up to you," I answered as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a folder. "Tell me what you make of this."

She read the first page which was all she really needed, God bless Wakeman he understood the importance of summaries. "Is this genuine?"

"Would I bring it here otherwise?" I asked with a small smile. "If you'll look in the index there's a paragraph summary of every complaint and a series of reference number for the relevant case files."

"How did you get this?" she said as she flipped through the folder with increasing interest.

"If it's all the same to you my dear, I would advise you not to ask me a question like that ever again," I replied calmly. "You spoke of a more permanent relationship the last time we met… consider this a test of your discretion. Can you be discreet Miss Vane?"

"Of course Harry," Romilda said looking at me with her lovely violet eyes. "I'd never divulge a source."

"This isn't the Hogsmeade Town Council Miss Vane," I replied with what I hoped was a serious look.

"I can play with the big boys," she said her eyes a light with mischief. "You know Harry, I could put on that top you liked so much at your place, and we could go and get some dinner."

"Miss Vane, I do have a fiancé you know," I replied more amused than offended by her behavior.

"All the good ones do," she answered me batting her eyelashes. "I've been with men like you before Harry and if you want me to be discreet well… isn't this, the best way to guarantee it? After all I'd hardly brag about sleeping with a source."

"If you've been with men like me before Miss Vane then you should know that we only hurt you in the end."

"You can't hurt me Harry," she said with a beautiful twinkling laugh. "Now shall I go get the top or not Mr. Potter?"

"It was the skirt I liked Miss Vane," I said with a laugh. "But don't bother; I like what you're wearing right now."

I put my hand on her knee and I moved it slowly upwards. The rest of that night is best left to your imagination.

What!? You want details? No! By God! There are something's a gentleman must never discuss. Pervy old bastards the lot of you.

**A/N **Well there it is Chapter Two, probably my least favorite one. I must admit it was both shorter then I'd hoped it would be and had a good deal less interesting moments then I was aiming for. It was however essential to set up the next Chapter which shall be rather interesting.

In any case you know doubt no the only payment I receive for this work is feedback. So read and review!


	3. The End of Genghis John

**Disclaimer: **This chapter and the story it is a part of it was not written in the hopes of profiting from its sale or distribution. At current I have never and have no plans in the future of receiving monetary compensation for this work. And I certainly do not own Harry Potter or any other related titles. Any resemblance the characters portrayed in this story might have to real life figures is completely coincidental.

**The Star Chamber**

**Chapter Three: The End of Genghis John**

"So as you can see a simple update in your hiring practices coupled with the release of our new OWL and NEWT tests and we can solve the whole problem without even talking to the schools," I explained to the five undersecretary's sitting in the conference room with me.

"I don't know Harry," Justin Finch-Fletchy said nervously. "Podmore won't like us changing the Hogwarts curriculum without even talking to the board."

"That's the beauty of this Justin," I replied hiding my annoyance. "We're not changing the Hogwarts curriculum we're merely offering new tests that students can choose to take. If Hogwarts wants to have classes to help with those tests then jolly good, and if not then that's their problem isn't it?"

"But making those tests mandatory for all Ministry positions as good as forces Hogwarts to do something about it," Justin said leaning back in his chair.

"I'm merely suggesting that the Ministry take the radical point of view that hiring functional illiterates isn't a good idea," I replied smoothly. "If you're Lord and Master Sturgis bloody Podmore wants to go before the people and say that he thinks and reading and writing aren't necessary skills for a Ministry employee he's more than welcome to do it."

Knowing Sturgis he'd go and do just that, but Justin was far too smart to let his mentor commit political suicide. Hufflepuff Loyalty and all that, Justin is an old friend but I find him trying and I found Sturgis Podmore, even more so. Podmore was an old brusier he'd done time in Azkban for helping Dumbledore out back in my fifth year and Kingsley had rewarded that loyalty by promoting him on up the greasy pole.

"Harry, this isn't a popular move," Justin said uncomfortably. "If it was you'd go through normal channels and have it laid before the Wizengamot for approval not try and slip it by as a change to regulations."

"Listen Justin," I said calmly. "I have a meeting with the Minister's Undersecretary in an hour and we all know Hermione well enough to know that she's going to smile on this idea. When that happens this as good as becomes government policy. I'm not asking for your help here mate, I'm giving you a courtesy briefing."

"Hermione Granger isn't the government," Justin snapped. Perhaps it was me but it seemed as if his voice was a lot harsher then was strictly nesscary.

"Oh come off it Finchy," said one of the other undersecretaries an unkempt man who I vaguely recognized as having been a year or two above me at Hogwarts. "Everyone knows old Jones doesn't go to loo without asking that Granger girl's permission first."

That wasn't fair, Hermione was one of Hestia's more influential advisors sure, but the Minister still had the bathroom key as far as I knew. Besides it seemed to me that the two of them just happened to think the same way rather than Hermione exercising any real influence.

"Look mate," I said leaning in, "you know this is the right way forward even if your boss doesn't. All I'm asking is for you to make sure he doesn't go and make an ass of himself by attacking government policy."

"Mr. Podmore, is not disloyal," Justin ground out, "but he does expect to be consulted as a member of the cabinet and not dictated to like a child."

That was an interesting defense of his mentor makes me question those rumors that were floating about. I never took Podmore for a fruitcake but prison changes people you know… Justin… well I've had my suspicions about him from the get go. Married my arse.

"Mr. Potter," My assistant a greying woman named Ashley said sticking her head through the door. "Mr. Weasley's here for your lunch meeting."

"Right," I answered glad to see the end of the meeting. "You gentleman will make an effort to keep your bosses abreast of the situation, but so long as we make funds available for the classes and don't actually make it a forced part of the curriculum those against this measure will have no real leg to stand on."

"Meeting adjourned," I said for the benefit of one of my young interns who was taking the minutes. As I walked out of the conference room and into the office proper I couldn't help but admire the hum of activity which had taken over the once drowsy Department of Magical Education. Left without any real task for so long the cubicle farmers had jumped onto my plans with surprising vigor. It would've been heartwarming had I given a flying rat's ass about any of them.

"Percy," I said with all the false pleasantness I could muster as I walked into my office. "How have you been old boy?"

"Fine Harry," the redhead said standing up a similar look of false cheer on his face. "And you?"

"Simply splendid," I answered. "Listen I hope you don't mind," I said as I picked up my cloak and led him out the door. "But I'd rather like to stop by the Ministry briefing room on our way out of the building, I'm given to understand something interesting is about to happen."

"What would that be?" Percy asked in confusion as we entered the lift. "The DMLE has the room booked for the day from what I remembered, nothing but them reading case files to a bunch of bored reporters probably."

"Well yes," I replied but. "But a friend in the Auror Office, your brother in fact, says that Dawlish is going to announce his plan to fight Auror Brutality."

"Oh yes," Percy said with a small smile, "I've been reading about that in the Prophet. I can't understand why people are so mad about a few knot grass smoking, lay about drunks getting roughed up."

"The British public are remarkably forgiving and merciful," I answered. "Forgiving that is to low life wretches, not so forgiving to the people who protect them mind you, but that's life isn't it."

"Honestly those scumbags poor Ronald has to deal with on a daily basis," Percy said shaking his head. "The lot of those thieves and crooks need to have their heads bashed in, more Auror Brutality not less if you ask me."

"From your mouth to God's ear," I replied as we exited the lift, the briefing room was only a short walk away. As we entered I saw a distinctly haggard looking Dawlish finishing beginning to take questions from the press.

"Mr. Dawlish," Colin called standing up, "do you feel that an internal task force is appropriate given the extent of the allegations?"

"I don't know what you mean by appropriate," Dawlish answered. His brown hair was askew on his forehead and his usually crisp auror robes were now wrinkled from continuous wear. "Yes Mr. Richardson?"

"Could you answer Colin's question," the beefy man said with ill-concealed glee. "Can the British public trust Aurors to police themselves."

"I quite frankly don't like this line of questioning-," Dawlish began before Colin cut him off.

"The British public quite frankly don't know if they can trust their defenders could you please give them some assurance."

"Mr. Creevy!" Dawlish snapped looked quite apoplectic before he finally managed to get his anger under control. "Mr. Creevy, the Aurors of my Department are by and large hard working, justice seeking, individuals who daily put their lives on the line for the people of this nation. I quite frankly am offended both for myself and for the aurors who put their lives on the line every day by this line of questioning. I will not tolerate it from someone who never risked his life for the sake of his country."

"Mundungus Fletcher was offended by the line of questioning your aurors took and he walked out of the interrogation room with a broken nose is that going to happen to me?"

Colin had grown an enormous pair of balls since I had last seen him. Dawlish for his part could only splutter in rage and indignation barely able to form words.

"Why you little! I never! Can't believe!" he spluttered his face turning all different shades of purple. Finally he got himself under control. "Mr. Creevy the Aurors of my department are good upstanding people. There are certain elements within the Auror Corps however that are less then savory. Rest assured those elements are vastly outnumbered by the other 99% of aurors and we will route them out and punish them you have my word!"

"Mr. Dawlish," Romilda said standing up a predatory grin on her face. "Do you remember a Mr. Albert Fulbright?"

Dawlish went white as a sheet and I knew our little shot in the dark had hit home. The other reporters however had no idea what was going on and turned to stare at Romilda in some confusion.

"I-I have no recollection of that name," Dawlish said taking a sip of water from his podium.

"You should, Mr. Dawlish," Romilda continued. "Mr. Fulbright brought a complaint against you some years ago for excessive use of force. You broke his leg?"

"Yes… well I uh," Dawlish waffled. "I remember now. The case went before a grand jury and it was dismissed."

"The case was dismissed under the regime of Pius Thickness, You-Know-Who's puppet. Mr. Fulbright was thrown into Azkaban for being a muggleborn three months after he brought a complaint against you… would you care to comment on your relationship with the Muggleborn Registration Committee?"

"T-That's completely out of line," Dawlish stuttered as a camera flash went off. "All career aurors receive complaints like that from time to time."

"Mr. Dawlish," Colin said sensing blood. "Not a minute ago you said 99% of aurors were clean now you're saying all aurors have had complaints filed against them?"

"Well I uh-," Dawlish fumbled clumsily. "Listen in our line of work a criminal will say anything to get out of jail time! They're low life scum just trying to drag good men down with them!"

"Are you saying that Mr. Fulbright was low life scum?" Romilda pressed. "Mr. Fulbright was an upstanding businessman and a pillar of the community. Did you send him to Azkban Mr. Dawlish?"

"Okay!" cried the public affairs officer far too late to stop the damage. "Mr. Dawlish has another meeting and that'll be all for today."

The press Officer and a small group of tough looking aurors surrounded Dawlish and led him out of the room as he was bombarded with questions.

"Mr. Dawlish would you comment on your relationship with Delores Umbridge!"

"Were you attached to the Muggleborn Registration Committee?"

"Where were you at the Battle of Hogwarts?" That one from Colin who was apparently still a little angry about the earlier comment.

"Dear Merlin," Percy said from my side in awe. "That was a disaster. An unmitigated disaster."

"Oh I don't know," I replied as I followed the horde of the reporters out the door.

"There's no way Dawlish is coming back from that waffle," Percy said as he followed me.

"Yes, but a disaster for some is a victory for someone else you know."

"You're angling for his job again?" Percy asked confused. "Minister Jones, won't give it to you, and even if she would the Wizengamot doesn't like unmarried candidates you know that."

"You're married aren't you Percy?" I asked with a small grin as we entered the lift.

"I-I," he stuttered his eyes going wide.

"You should keep quiet, take no firm stands on anything, and whatever you do don't say anything interesting or controversial." I answered calmly.

"Well I was planning on doing that anyways," Percy replied deadpanned.

"Good," I said with a smile. "Now if you still want to get lunch we better make it quick I meet with Granger in an hour and a half."

What? Me, Harry Potter? Head of the Auror Office? Simply wouldn't do. I mean yes the position carries with it a great deal of respect but no one likes the Chief Cop. Reading the Riot Act at the Quidditch Matches and busting knot grass dealers, not exactly the way to popularity is it? Perfect for Percy though.

"Harry this is Brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed as she looked over my education proposals. "Real reform, one broad stroke! "

I admired Hermione's new and much larger office as she walked around spouting slogans she thought went well with my proposal. "A Lesson in um… Children first! More Blackboard less School Board!"

"Education then Beyond?" I put in amused by her reaction.

"Yes that's brilliant!" She said happily sitting back down at her desk.

"I take it we can start formulating the new OWLS and NEWTS? We have some mockups already but we were waiting to bring in testing experts until we got final approval."

"Yes, of course Harry," Hermione replied enthusiastically. "I can't tell you how pleased the Minister will be. I mean we could start announcing this by the end of the week. Have it fully implemented by the end of the year! And we won't even have to fight the Wizengamot on it."

"Tell me Hermione," I asked leaning in. "What are you lot planning to do about Dawlish."

"Listen Harry," she immediately clammed up. "We still don't think you're a good candidate for that job."

"I wasn't asking about me," I said with a wave of my hand. "I have this education reform to push through, like you said that'll keep me busy for a few months at least. In any case I can do much more with this then I could in the Auror Office. But are you planning on firing him?"

"Well…" she paused. "We haven't decided for sure yet but we might have to. I mean if this Fulbright thing is true then… my god he might even have to face criminal charges."

"I doubt that," I answered smoothly. "All the witnesses have been gone for what? A decade? It'll be hard to prove anything."

"Still," she said. "The Wizengamot aren't going to let us keep him around not with that on his record. Prescott's owled not five minutes ago saying that Podmore is considering tabling a motion of no confidence in Dawlish."

"Does the Chief Cane think Podmore's motion has any support?" I asked.

"Not enough, not yet," she answered. "But the story just broke, by this time tomorrow maybe… and if not enough for it to pass he'll certainly have enough for it to embarrass us."

"You might have to get ahead of the wave and ask for his resignation," I ventured cautiously.

"That's the direction we're leaning towards as well," Hermione answered uncomfortably. "But we don't even have a candidate to replace him yet his deputy will have to be acting head until we can drum someone up."

"What's his name," I said trying desperately to remember the deputy. "Robards? Sound man, he should be able to handle it for a week or so."

"Yes," Hermione answered. "In any case the Minister will want a briefing on the new tests and hiring standards you're looking to bring out, how about six tomorrow? Right before dinner?"

"Works for me," I said happily as I stood to leave. "Give Ron my love."

Hermione had told me everything I wanted to hear. Dawlish was on his way out which meant someone had to be on the way in. As I left her office a small grin spread across my face, for I had chaos to sew and Miss Romilda Vane was about to get the scoop of her life.

"Brilliant today wasn't I?" she said with a glittering smile as she opened the door to her flat. "Did you see Dawlish's face? Of course Colin already had him on the run."

"My dear you were excellent," I answered truthfully as I kissed her. "I couldn't have hoped for a better performance."

"So what did you stop by for," Romilda asked with a lecherous grin, "a different sort of performance I presume?"

"Business before pleasure Miss Vane," I said with a self-satisfied smile. I am no more immune to a beautiful woman throwing herself at me then the next man. "What's tomorrow's headline?"

"_Genghis John Resigns: Reign of Terror at End_," She replied without hesitation as we sat down on her couch. "Rita just owled me, Jones gave him the sack an hour ago."

"Wrong," I replied with a smile. "That's the headline for the Hogsmeade Courier, The Flying Welshman and that god awful Irish Language Paper whose name I can't be troubled to remember. The Headline for the Daily Prophet's going to be: 'Weasley for Aurors.'"

"Arthur Weasley's a bit old for that don't you think?" Romilda asked confused. "Truth be told I thought he retired."

"No not Arthur," I said my lips quirking upwards.

"No… you can't be serious, Ron!" Romilda said a look of horror on her face. "I know he's your friend Harry but the man's an idiot what's the Minister thinking!?"

"I meant Percy," I was more amused by her reaction to that name then any of the others.

"You really think the Minister is going to name Percy Weasley? I- I mean he's so boring."

"He's a war hero you know?" I replied. "Personally helped captured Pius Thickness at the Battle of Hogwarts."

Well that wasn't completely untrue, I mean yes he did need his Daddy's help to do it, but in fairness Pius Thickness was a spry 65 at the time of the duel.

"And he sheltered that poor muggleborn girl from the Death Eaters during the war," I continued.

The poor muggleborn girl in question now had a thriving career as a lingerie model, not to mention suspicious memory gaps, but a gentleman doesn't discuss such things. That's typical of fate though isn't it, I spent that entire year tramping through the Forest of Dean with nothing but Hermione to keep me keep me warm at night and a git like Percy was shacked up with an underwear model.

"And he's done nothing worth talking about since," Romilda interjected. "He's a veritable nobody."

"He's negotiated several very important international trade treaties and he's currently negotiating an extradition treaty with Poland. He's not a nobody Romilda, he's a quiet competent man," I finished.

"Since when has quiet competence gotten anyone anywhere?" She asked skeptically.

"We're British, darling, quiet competence, an old prefect badge, and a bowler hat, the hard part will be making sure they don't elect him Minister of Magic."

"Is the Minister seriously considering him?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not yet, no," I replied, "not until you tell her too. The words will flow out of your pen today and the Minister's mouth tomorrow, that's true power Miss Vane. That's what I offer you."

Rumors are an amazing thing at 5 AM sharp the morning papers hit the stands. The Prophet ran with the headline, "Head Boy to Whip Aurors Straight," then they had a photo of Percy looking resolute with those horn rim glasses of his. By lunch time Wizarding Wireless Network was camped outside the Burrow as Mrs. Weasley regaled them with tales of her favorite son. And by the time it came for me to meet with the Minister at 6pm the Hogsmeade Evening Courier was just hitting the stands with a full bio of Percy Weasley on page 10.

"Madame Jones," I said graciously as I was ushered into the Minister's office.

"Harry dear," she exclaimed embracing me as if she had never betrayed me. Politics is a silly game as you know. "Hermione here seems to think you're on to something can you tell me about it?"

"Not a problem," I said as I took a seat in an armchair with Hermione and Hestia in front of me. "As you two no doubt know the main obstacle to Education Reform in this country is the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"Yes and how do you plan to get around them?" Hesita asked with interest.

"Simple, we don't reform education at all," I replied nonchalantly.

"A bold strategy," the Minister said with a small smile.

"It's simple we don't mandate curriculum changes, we don't threaten to withhold funding, all we do is create NEWT and OWL tests for Mathematics and English. Then we mandate that all Ministry personnel must achieve at least an Acceptable in all four tests with certain jobs requiring more as appropriate."

"What was it," Hermione spoke up in support of me, "something like 2/3rds of all Hogwarts graduates join the ministry. If they want to keep those numbers like that then they'll have to change the curriculum even if we don't ask them to."

"Precisely," I replied with a smile. "I've also spoken with representatives of the Ministerial College of Potioneers and the Worshipful Company of Magical Architects both of the guilds are receptive to using the tests in their own admissions requirements."

"Sturgis Podmore, is rather against this idea," Hestia said cautiously. "He's afraid that it might cut the Ministry off from our traditional recruiting venues."

"I wouldn't worry about it," I answered. "This is a game where we hold all the cards, if Hogwarts won't provide us with graduates then we'll recruit from the London School of Poor Sorcerers or the Irish Academy of Magic. But it won't come to that."

"Can you be sure?" Hestia pressed. "The last thing I need is this blowing up in my face."

"Yes," I answered truthfully. "If Hogwarts complains too much we'll just offer to pay for the extra courses no harm done. And besides if we can get enough Guilds to use this test as well, then Hogwarts will have to comply or their graduates will be effectively black listed for employment."

"And current graduates?" Hestia asked.

"The requirements will only apply for classes graduating after 2010," I answered smoothly.

"Well you seem to have thought this out," Hestia said her mind working overtime, "this could play very well in the papers. What with the first hundred days coming to an end we'll need a victory soon."

"Especially with our reduced majority in the Wizengamot it would be good to show that we can make real changes without them," Hermione added.

"How soon can we announce?" asked Hesita.

"End of the week if you really want," I answered. "But I would need at least a month to get a majority of the guilds behind this plan and I would prefer to hold off on announcing until the final draft has their approval."

"Well start rounding up supporters and quick," Hestia said. "With any luck this'll drive the whole Auror business out of the headlines."

"Speaking of the Auror Office," I said casually, "have you given any thought to Dawlish's replacement."

"I'm truly sorry Harry," Hestia said uncomfortably, "But I don't see the way forward to nominating you. You're young and unmarried and this isn't a post for that sort of person."

"Minister," I said with feigned surprise, "perish the thought, I wouldn't dream of leaving Education, not at this critical juncture. I was merely wondering about the rumors floating around, are you looking to appoint Percy Weasley?"

"Well we weren't," Hestia replied, "not until the papers started talking about him… but it seems he has a lot of support. Why what do you think?"

"Oh Minister," I said with a great deal of false modesty, "you wouldn't want my opinion on such an important matter."

"Harry this is a bang up job you've done so far, and I trust your judgment, it couldn't hurt to tell me what you think."

"Well," I said cautiously, "I see a lot of advantages to Percy Weasley."

"Really?" she asked, "but he's such an outsider, he's never served a day in the DMLE."

"No but that's something of an advantage isn't it," I answered. "You heard Colin Creevy at that last press conference; Britain doesn't trust the aurors to police themselves, bringing in an outsider like Percy says you mean business. Moreover he has a reputation as a no nonsense sort of fellow, he won't tolerate that funny business the aurors have been getting up to lately."  
"Truthfully," I continued, "I would be worried that even bringing in an outsider wouldn't be enough… this scandal… well we're all products of Shacklebolt's reign you know."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well it's no secret that Kingsley always came to the aurors defense when they ran into trouble and we as liberals are forced to associate ourselves with his legacy… in time people might start to wonder how the aurors got so out of control… They might cast about for scapegoats… what we need is to signal a complete break from the past."

"I think I know what you're saying," Hestia said a look of comprehension dawning on her face.

"It's still young in your Premiership Minister," I continued. "If you take firm action now, no one will blame you for the past excesses. Appoint Percy Weasley as Head of the Auror Office, but do one better as well name him a High Inquisitor."

"You can't be serious," Hermione said in shock.

"Make him a High Inquisitor," I continued. "Complete power over the aurors, hiring and firing, promotion and demotion, punishments and regulation changes. Make him answerable only to this office and the Wizengamot. We don't know how deep this scandal goes yet, it's already claimed Dawlish if it continues to go uncheck who knows where it will end. Let Percy clean out the Auror Office! Let it be known that we took firm action."

"Harry that's insane!" Hermione said in exasperation. "The situation is bad I grant you but we can't start a witch hunt just because it will look good in the papers."

"No he's right," Hestia said speaking for the first time. "I've been in government all these years, I wasn't anywhere near the Auror department but… well if we don't move quickly this scandal could be dogging us for the rest of the year at least."

The next morning Percy's photo graced the front of the Prophet. He had on those horn rim glasses that make him look so smart and serious. The article went on in loving terms about how Percy would cleanse the aurors of the villains who had somehow stumbled their way into a badge. To be fair he did cleanse the aurors, but when he was done… well let's just say I don't get a whole lot of parking tickets anymore.

**A/N** Well that's the end of the Dawlish plot I hope you enjoyed it. From this point out the story stops mirroring House of Cards quite so much and starts to stand on its own magical legs.

Now remember thanks to stupid laws and junk I don't get paid for writing this, the only sort of compensation I get is your reviews so PAY ME!


	4. The Greenest Grass

**Disclaimer: **This chapter and the story it is a part of it was not written in the hopes of profiting from its sale or distribution. At current I have never and have no plans in the future of receiving monetary compensation for this work. And I certainly do not own Harry Potter or any other related titles. Any resemblance the characters portrayed in this story might have to real life figures is completely coincidental.

**The Star Chamber**

**Chapter Four: The Greenest Grass**

"What do we have on Podmore?" I asked Percy as we sat in his office about a year after his appointment.

"Practically nothing," Percy answered. "I've had him on round the clock surveillance for months now and he hasn't so much as jay walked. The same with that lap dog of his Finch-Fletchy, they're both clean as much as it pains me to say."

What did you think I would organize a takeover of the Auror department and not put them to good use? And what with Percy's crusade against corruption any Auror who had the gall to object soon found himself the subject of an ethics investigation.

"There has been some movement on the Malfoy front however," Percy continued.

"Lucius finally back to his old ways?"

"Not that kind of movement unfortunately," he replied. "Someone from the Enforcement Squad caught the younger Malfoy in a bathroom stall at the International Portkey with a… well um... In any case I had my aurors hush it all up."

"Oh good Lord," I said shaking my head. "Why couldn't he have just gone to a respectable knocking shop like the rest of us?"

"I don't think Madame Addler's caters to his um… requirements," Percy said uncomfortably as he handed me a photo of a woman with a protruding Adam's apple.

I shook my head in disgust.

"Poor Astoria, Such a fine girl stuck with such a wretched man."

"If we out this to Lucius I think he would be more than willing to do us a favor or two with that side of the Chamber," Percy said.

"No," I answered regretfully. "I couldn't even if I wanted to, Daphne would kill me for one, dragging her sister's husband through the mud like that."

"Oh the great Harry Potter tamed by a woman?" Percy said with a smug grin.

Out of all my creatures Percy was perhaps the only one who could get away with teasing me like that. Percy you see under all that pompous hot air was actually very competent. He was also steadfastly loyal to the biggest bully on the playground, first Crouch, then Fudge, then Scrimouger and now me.

"Tamed isn't the word I'd use," I replied calmly.

"And what is the word you would use?" Percy asked his face alight with amusement.

"Terrified," I answered truthfully. "Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex had absolutely nothing on Daphne. If I was ever stupid enough to seriously make her mad I don't think your aurors would ever find enough of me to bury. In any case I must be off I have that meeting with Hermione."

"Any idea what's it about?" Person asked as he rose from his chair to show me out the door.

"No she didn't say."

"Something's been brewing in the Minister's office," Percy said a little worry creeping into his face. "A lot more close door meetings this week. Outside consultants scurrying in and out."

"Maybe they're looking to start the next legislative push?" I said opening the door.

In truth Percy was right rumors had been circulating the Ministry like wildfire for at least a week now about the strange activity coming out of the Ministers Office. They vied with the birth of Hopkirk's triplets as the most discussed subject in the Ministry that week.

"Harry!" Romilda called after me detaching herself from the Chief Cane, Prescott, a man for whom I have no respect.

"Walk with me Romilda," I said as I continued down the hall towards the lift, "I haven't the time for a proper chat. Prescott?" I asked once the Chief Cane was out of earshot.

"He's a valuable source you know," Romilda replied with a shrug. "And a lovely old man too."

"He's a dried up old prune whose spent far too many years on the backbenches," I replied.

"He's got more influence then you give him credit for Harry," she said with a fond smile. "The minister's eyes and ears in the Wizengamot. Wheeling and dealing, gathering up all the votes for legislation, rather important really."

"In the old days, they used to give one slave a whip and tell him he was in charge," I answered. "That slave would get mighty full of himself too tanning the hide of anyone who slacked off and all that. But at the end of the day that slave would still go home to a squalid little mud hut, and that's the Chief Cane for you. He might be the top back bencher but he's still just a back bencher. He might ramrod legislation through but he doesn't write it."

"If you say so," Romilda replied with profound disinterest.

"I don't write the rules my dear I merely live by them, now what was it you wanted?"

"Do you have anything for me?" she asked hopefully. "It's been weeks since you fed me proper."

"I fed you proper Tuesday night," I replied with a lecherous wink.

Romilda glared at me and I got the distinct impression that if I wasn't such a valuable source she would've slapped me then and there.

"Don't be like that Harry," she said her voice full of reproach. "When we're in the Ministry can we keep it professional?"

"Professional?" I asked far more amused than offended. "This from the woman who jumped my bones not thirty seconds after I gave her that auror story."

"Harry," she said as we entered the lift. "I fuck you because you're handsome and your good at it, but if you keep making those stupid jokes then I'm going to start thinking you're more annoying than handsome. Now do you have a story for me or not."

The look of anger on her face, the quirked eyebrow to show she was serious… what can I say it was god awful cute. Oh I should've been livid at her, but I'm not the livid sort.

"I don't have anything for you Miss Vane," I said making my voice unnaturally harsh. "But the bathroom attendant at the International Portkey Hub might."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she snapped apparently taking my tip for an insult.

"The aurors were there Tuesday night, I'd ask around you might find something interesting."

Daphne would be furious if she found out I was the one who leaked but what she doesn't know can't possibly lead to her hurting me.

"Thanks Harry," she said with a small kiss on the cheek before she got off the lift.

I do miss my conversations with Romilda. These days I pass my leaks on through Colin who I have absolutely no desire to flirt with.

I was rather surprised when I got to Hermione's office to hear her talking with someone, as I had rather been under the impression it was to be a one on one meeting.

"Madame Minister," I said in surprise when I entered the office to see Hestia perched on an arm chair in the corner. "I had no idea you'd be joining us today."

"There's a matter we wished to put to you together Harry," Hermione answered after she greeted me with a light kiss on the cheek.

"It was actually rather you're idea," Hestia said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Oh did you get that memo about outlawing teachers unions?" I asked hopefully.

"What the Minister meant to say," Hermione said with a rather self-satisfied grin "is that stunt you pulled with the new tests gave me an idea for how we can tackle another problem of ours. House Elves!"

Just goes to show you that Hermione Granger never admits she's wrong about anything. Two decades after founding SPEW, one of those decades spent in government no less, she still had that idiot idea of freeing House Elves bouncing around in her head. I mean really! What would house elves even do with freedom, you know the buggers are too stupid to reproduce by themselves. It's true! Daphne's family fortune is all tied up in House Elf Breeding I got a tour of the farm once…. Horrid experience.

"What a brilliant idea!" I exclaimed.

One must remember that if you intend to stab someone in the back, you must first get behind them.

"You like it then?" Hermione asked relief coming over her face. "I was afraid you'd wouldn't, I mean you were always skeptical in school and of course there's Kreacher."

"Oh well Kreacher," I said waving that objection away with my hand, "You know that old fellow wouldn't know what to do by himself. The poor thing couldn't stand the idea of leaving Grimmauld. As for me I'd be much happier cooking for myself!"

That's a lie I'm a dreadful chef, well that's not completely true I do make a mean mushroom soup. Practice you see, mushrooms were about the only think in the Forest of Dean where I was forced to spend what should've been my seventh year at Hogwarts.

"Excellent!" Hestia said, her face radiating happiness. "I knew we could trust you Harry."

"I'm curious though," I replied. "The Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is Amos Diggory? Isn't he violently opposed to House Elf Rights? And more to the point won't emancipation require a Wizengamot Vote?"

"We can bypass Diggory," Hermione answered. "The Head of the House Elf Affairs is one of our people, so long as Diggory gets no word of the plan in advance he won't be a problem."

"As for the Wizengamot," Hestia continued. "We're not actually going to be freeing house elves, unfortunately, we're merely going to publish new guidelines for their care and treatment. How tightly packed their living quarters can be."

Kreacher lived under the sink.

"Mandate 8 solid hours of sleep a night," Hermione chirped in.

I'm not actually sure if Kreacher slept… do house elves sleep…?

"How much food they must be given and of what quality."

I'm pretty sure Kreacher subsided on rats he caught while cleaning.

"And of course," Hesita said as if it should be obvious, "access to healthcare."

To this day I'm not actually sure if there are house elf doctors…

"What marvelous suggestions," I said with all the false enthusiasm I could muster.

"And even if someone tried to raise a court challenge to the new regulations, Chief Cane Prescott assures me that the High Court won't hear the case," Hermione finished looking like Crookshanks after he'd just caught a canary. "Diggle won't allow it to come up in the Docket."

"Oh and it will be quite popular with the voters," Hestia said happily. "I mean only rich idiots can afford house elves anyways right?"

The Minister had apparently forgotten that I owned several. Not to mention that only rich idiots ran for the Wizengamot.

"Well this is simply fabulous," I said with false cheer, a plot to derail the plan already forming in mind.

"Of course secrecy is of the utmost importance," Hestia said.

"If the Wizengamot were to find out before we went ahead with the plan then they could legislate away our ability to do it," Hermione continued. "But after the regulation is in place they can't remove it with Legislation only in a court case. And of course a court case can't be brought without the approval of the Chief Warlock, who's on our side."

The constitutional framework which governs our great nation is riddled with loopholes and several downright silly tradition isn't it?

"We called you in Harry," Hestia said. "Because as you know Hogwarts is one of the largest owners of House elves in Britain, and as an undersecretary from the DME we thought you might be able to tell us how this would affect the school."

I looked at the paper she had handed me, and felt distinctly like laughing at the rank silliness of some of the suggestions. Two weeks of Holiday a year? Where in the devil would they go? Tahiti?

"Well of course some of these suggestions might be difficult to be implemented at Hogwarts given the size of their house elf population," I said carefully. "But on the whole I think that we could achieve something like this."

"What changes do you have in mind?" Hermione asked leaning in.

"Well if we reimbursed them the cost of the expanded living space and upped the overall budget 3% to compensate for the Health Care… It's doable."

"Excellent!" Hestia said leaning back in her chair happily.

"Of course I would have to run these numbers by experts from my own department to be sure," I said. "And Hogwarts might need a year or two of exemptions for some of these measures, but on the whole all of these aims could be achieved by the next election."

"Have we told you lately that you're a godsend Harry?" Hestia asked with wide smile on her face.

"You flatter me Minister."

Even years after the fact that the memory of that woman makes my skin crawl. A brown nosing sycophant, who by chance, had found herself leader of Great Britain, God help us all. In any case the matter could never go forward for several reasons.

For starters there was no way in hell I was going to be paying for Kreacher to go to the doctors or Tahiti for that matter. Next as I already said Daphne's family fortune, which upon the timely death of her father would become my family fortune, was all tied up in the breeding, training, and selling of house elves. And finally it was just a stupid proposal to begin with.

There are two sorts of wizards which give a flying hoot about House Elf Rights. There are of course the bleeding hearts like Hermione who go on and on at parties about the plight of the oppressed. Then there are the upstanding gentleman such as myself Diggory, Malfoy and others who own house elves. In our case familiarity had breed contempt with the entire servile race. Then of course there are the other 80% of wizards who don't own a house elf and don't give a flying fig what happens to them. In general people like Hermione are vastly outnumbered and vastly out bribed by people like me.

In any case I was in quite a fit when I returned to my office deep in the forgotten bowels of the Ministry.

"Sarah!" I called to my assistant. "Tell Amos Diggory I want a meeting with him."

She poked her head back in several minutes later, "his assistant says he's booked up for the next two days, how does Thursday look for you?"

'Tell that git, I dragged his dead son out of a Death Eater get together, he can damn well spare me fifteen minutes!"

"Do you actually want me to tell him that?" Sarah asked her eyebrows raised.

I thought about it for a moment longer then I probably should've but finally decided against it, I would need Diggory on my good side.

"Ask him if he and his wife would like to come around for dinner tonight," I replied instead.

It was better to do it away from the Ministry in any case, less prying eyes and all that. In any case I headed home to make some preparations.

"You're home early," Daphne said barely looking up from her magazine as I stepped out of the fireplace.

"Spot of bother at work, we're going to be having guests tonight so we'll need to set four places instead of two."

"Why are you telling me?" Daphne asked with her eyebrow raised. "Kreacher's the one who cooks."

"Sorry muggle habit," I said feeling my cheeks start to burn a little in embarrassment.

"So what's this problem at work anyways? Percy broke a fingernail again?"

"No, Hermione's on another of her free the house elves rants," I replied as I took a seat next to her.

"Oh God," Daphne said with a roll of her eyes. "I honestly don't know what you see in that woman."

"Loyalty," I answered feeling a need to defend my old friend.

"If you want loyalty go and get a dog," Daphne said with a snort. "Loyalties a fine trait for a German Shepherd but it simply won't do for a Ministry Official."

"I had a dog once," I replied with a shrug. "Didn't work out so well."

I freely admit to having morphed into a heartless bastard but some traumas run deep. I still can't think about dogs without remembering the look on Sirius's face a he fell through the veil.

"Yes and you grew up in a cupboard under the stairs and until you were 12 no one had ever hugged you," Daphne said with profound disinterest as she flipped a page in her magazine. Perhaps there was something to the theory that the Dursley's had screwed me up when it came to love. Because for some reason I found Daphne's trite dismissal of my sufferings to be infinitely more attractive then Ginny's cloying affection had ever been.

"So what are you planning to do about Granger's little house elf plan?" she asked.

"Amos Diggory is our dinner guest," I answered.

"Oh that is interesting, Potter," she said closing her magazine and giving me her full attention. "And why Amos Diggory?"

That was our way, you see, she would walk me through every step of one of our plots like a tutor helping me with a math problem. It was a game we had played ever since we had first became friends in Italy. The academics politics there made Hogwarts look like a daycare I doubt I would have survived without the help of Daphne. I like to think that by the time we returned to England I was at least her equal when it came to our little game but one never could tell with her.

"Diggory's will be violently opposed to the plan and he'll sink it for me," I answered.

"You could just destroy the plan yourself you know," she said. "I'm sure if you told that little tart of yours to write an editorial then enough people would be opposed to make it impossible to pass."

Yes Daphne knew about my infidelities and I knew about her's. We had an odd relationship, but it worked.

"So if you could sink the plan yourself why involve Diggory?" she asked.

"Degrees of separation, if everyone thinks Diggory was responsible then no one can possibly blame me for the plans failure."

"Is that all?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Diggory would be awful grateful to me for the help you know."

"And is that all," she pressed again.

"If I can get Diggory to derail the plan, then the Minister would be awfully disappointed with him wouldn't she?" I explained. "Department heads who run afoul the Minister don't stay department heads long. And when she looks for his replacement…"

I left the rest unsaid, modesty you understand.

"You've come a long way." The look she gave me was something like the look a mother gives her child when he graduates from Hogwarts.

"I had a good teacher," I said as I wrapped me arms around her. "You know we do have a few hours before our guests arrive."

To punctuate my point I placed my hand on her thigh.

"Really Potter?" she asked her voice full of amusement. "In the drawing room? We'll scandalize poor Kreacher."

She didn't protest though when I kissed her and when the kiss turned into more… well she didn't protest much then either.

Sometime later as we lay together on the floor a panting, sweaty, satisfied, mess I looked down at her. Her platinum blonde hair, her aristocratic features, and her lovely green eyes so like my own. I felt a wave of affection rise up in me that compelled me to speak.

"You know I was with Romilda last Tuesday."

Daphne's whole body stiffened against me and her eyes went cold as ice. I can only imagine what it must have seemed like. Daphne and I had a pretty open relationship but talking about affairs while still sweaty from our own love making was probably crossing even our tenuous line.

"I gave her a story, then I got what I wanted," I continued. "Then as soon as I was done I got up and I left."

I pulled Daphne close to me, but she didn't return the gesture her eyes staring into me as if she was trying to figure out what in the hell I was doing.

"I didn't hold her, I didn't tell her she was beautiful, I took what I wanted then I got up and I came back to you. I'll always come back to you."

"You're such a romantic," Daphne said sarcastically though I couldn't help but notice that she was now looking at me with affection instead of malice.

We lay there for a while more before she spoke again. "Oliver Wood asked me to go to his game next Saturday."

"Sounds like fun," I replied.

"It might run late," she said as she stared into my eyes.

"Are you going to come home when you're done?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Then it doesn't matter how late it runs," I answered.

She just smiled and kissed me before sinking into my arms with a contended purr. I don't think I've ever felt closer to any other person then I did to her at that moment.

As for our dinner it with Diggory it was a boring affair. Daphne was of course the perfect hostess, Kreacher stayed far out of sight and Amos and I made small talk about Quidditch. You never discuss business at the dinner table you know, bad form and all that rot. Afterwards I took him to my study plied him with brandy and I told him everything I knew.

It's odd looking back how that single conversation changed the entire trajectory of the British Nation. As I whispered my secrets into his ear I never knew that, what I was discussing would bring the Government to its knees. All over bloody house elves! Madness I tell you! Sheer madness!

**A/N** Some people have commented that Harry's behavior is OOC… yeah it is. Basically I've been wanting to write a story like this for a while but the idea of writing 100,000 word epic about the moral decay of a hero is far beyond my abilities. So I decided to skip that and just write the story I wanted to write.

In any case after that last chapter we just passed 100 favorites so yay me! That's pretty important considering how many people search for stories by going through favorite lists. I was also happy to see some of my favorite author's had this story on alert or favorite which is pretty fucking cool for a nerd like me.

In any case special thanks to SimFlyer for being the 100th Favorite. Now go forth and review.


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